ALL INDIA BANK EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION
Central Office: “ PRABHAT NIVAS ”
Singapore Plaza, 164, Linghi Chetty Street, Chennai-600001
Phone: 2535 1522, 6543 1566 & Fax: 4500 2191, 2535 8853
e mail ~ chv.aibea@gmail.com & aibeahq@gmail.com
CIRCULAR NO. 26/80/2010/30 27TH October, 2010
TO ALL UNITS & MEMBERS
Dear Comrades,
All of us are proud of the glorious and glittering history of our beloved national organisation AIBEA. It is full of challenges, struggles and achievements. There have been innumerable attacks and our movement has progressed overcoming all these attacks. When we are in the Centenary Year of Com. Prabhat Kar, it is necessary for us to recall one such attack that was witnessed in 1948.
It was in the month of August, 1948. Central Bank employees in Kolkata were on a strike demanding implementation of S.K Sen Tribunal Award. Central Bank persisted with their illegal stand and hence the strike continued. Other bank employees were extending their support but there were technical problems in giving a solidarity strike by all others since some of the Unions were by that time before a Tribunal and during the pendency of the proceedings they were not to go on strike.
However, suddenly, Sri. Soumyen Tagore, the then President of AIBEA announced a call for a strike on 17th August, 1948 in support of Central Bank employees. There was no decision of AIBEA or BPBEA but yet the call was announced by him.
Com. Prabhat Kar was the General Secretary of BPBEA at that time. Com. Prabhat Kar said that AIBEA’s call was supreme and hence decided to organise the strike as per the call. The strike was a stupendous success. Even RBI and SBI employees joined the strike even though they were not affiliated to BPBEA. More than 20,000 employees ( in 1948 ! ) in Kolkata participated in the strike. The strike paralysed the entire banks and banking came to a standstill. This angered the Bankers and the Government. They wanted to teach the bank unions and leaders a lesson.
Bankers approached the State Government to take stern action on the Unions but Dr. B C Roy who was the then Chief Minister of West Bengal declared that while his Government may not be able to take any action, however, would permit the individual banks to launch prosecution on the unions.
Mr. W.T.C. Parker, the then boss of the Lloyds Bank grabbed the opportunity to wreck vengeance on Com. Prabhat Kar because Com Prabhat Kar earlier founded the union in Lloyds Bank. Mr. Parker approached the Government and obtained authorization from them to take criminal action. He instituted criminal proceedings against Com. Prabhat Kar and 10 other office bearers under the Industrial Disputes Act. After filing the Court case, the management suspended all these 11 leaders.
This was answered by all the 588 employees of Lloyds Bank with a 100 % successful strike for 2 continuous days.
On the third day, when all these employees went to the Bank to join for duty, the management did not allow them inside. Mr. Parker could not cool his wrath and wanted a pound of flesh. The management gave a sheet of paper to all the employees ( containing a loyalty bond ) and asked them to sign it before they entered the Bank. Thus a virtual lock out was foisted on the employees.
On 27th OCTOBER, 1948, by newspaper advertisement the Lloyds Bank management dismissed all the 588 employees and advertised for new recruitment of staff in their place. Such was the cruel attitude of the management.
The employees could not digest this atrocious action of the management and there was another bout of strike which lasted for three weeks.
Ultimately Mr. Parker had to come down and the employees were allowed to join their duty in the Bank. Of course 40 leaders of the union were not allowed by the management but all the other employees were saved of their jobs. After 10 years of litigation before various Tribunals, Com. Prabhat Kar succeeded in achieving reinstatement of all these 40 leaders too. He also succeeded in getting back jobs for the other 10 office bearers who were victimized. But Com. Prabhat Kar was punished under the I.D Act for illegal strike and hence could not get his job back. However, by that time, in 1957, Com. Prabhat Kar became a Member of Parliament !
Lloyds Bank management earned notoriety by their attacks
but
Com. Prabhat Kar earned an eternal place in the hearts of bank employees
COM. PRABHAT KAR AMAR RAHE !
With greetings,
Yours Comradely,
C.H. VENKATACHALAM
GENERAL SECRETARY
